In this week’s new releases, Seth MacFarlane and Mark Wahlberg return for “Ted 2,” and “Max” tells the story of a Belgian Malinois who is returned to the U.S. after helping the military in Afghanistan and is adopted by a family. Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana star in “Infinitely Polar Bear,” a semi-autobiographical film by writer-director Maya Forbes, which is centered around a manic-depressive father of two.
★ “Ted 2” (R) “With ‘Ted 2,’ director and co-writer Seth MacFarlane — who also voices the Boston-accented, profanity-spewing plushie of the title — tries to re-bottle that lightning, making a halfhearted bid for humanistic respectability in the bargain. ” – Ann Hornaday
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★★½ “Max” (PG) “It’s hard to fault a movie for being schmaltzy when it’s as unabashedly virtuosic in its efforts to pluck at your heartstrings as ‘Max.’ The drama about the bond between a troubled youngster and his troubled dog is as nakedly sentimental as these things come, and they don’t come along often these days, not since the Rin Tin Tin and Lassie tales of yore. But ‘Max’ also is polished, utterly effective moviemaking.” – Michael O’Sullivan
★★ “A Little Chaos” (R) “Alan Rickman, who plays Louis XIV, also directs, in what is only his second stint behind the camera, and his first since 1997’s ‘The Winter Guest.’ It’s a shame such a talented artist couldn’t create a more memorable film, but the overlong ‘A Little Chaos’ bogs down in a lackluster love story. On screen, all the perfectly pruned shrubs in Versailles aren’t enough to make an impression.” – Stephanie Merry
★½ “Infinitely Polar Bear” (R) “Forbes certainly didn’t set out to make a documentary, and she needn’t be concerned about her father’s reaction to his on-screen portrayal; Cameron Forbes died in 1998. But what ‘Polar Bear’ really lacks is hindsight. It is a little girl’s valentine to her father, without the benefit of bittersweet wisdom that comes with age.” – Michael O’Sullivan
★★★ “Fresh Dressed” (Unrated) “The film doesn’t always dig deeply, glossing over why certain trends have emerged. And some of the interviews don’t add much to the movie beyond star power. ‘Fresh Dressed’ nevertheless offers an original and worthwhile look at the history of hip-hop style. And the soundtrack doesn’t hurt either.” – Stephanie Merry
Share this articleShare★★ “I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story” (Unrated) “The documentary ‘I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story’ is as bright and fluffy as the canary-yellow feathers that bedeck the titular ‘Sesame Street’ character. Unsurprisingly, there isn’t much of an edge to this sunny and affectionate portrait, save for a brief mention of the cobra- and mongoose-like rivalry that has developed in recent years between this 8-foot-tall avian Pollyanna and Elmo, his Muppet rival, for the affections of America’s 3-year-olds.” – Michael O’Sullivan
★★★ “Eden” (R) “It’s hard to describe the drama ‘Eden’ and do it justice. The movie is less concerned with telling a tale than conveying an atmosphere — the look, feel and sound of the Parisian techno scene from the early 1990s until 2013. You just have to experience it.” – Stephanie Merry
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★★½ “The Overnight” (R) “Written and directed by Patrick Brice (‘Creep’), ‘The Overnight’ was produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, with whose HBO series “Togetherness” the movie shares some married-with-difficulties DNA. Fans of Noah Baumbach’s ‘While We’re Young’ will also recognize Brice’s note-perfect rendering of prosperity and cultural superiority, which are signaled with carefully cultivated, seemingly casual precision by those who possess them.” – Ann Hornaday
★★½ “Escobar: Paradise Lost” (R) “There’s a lot of cognitive dissonance in ‘Escobar: Paradise Lost,’ a fictionalized portrait of the late Colombian drug lord (1949-1993) that traffics in the disconnect between Pablo Escobar’s well- documented ruthlessness and his equally conspicuous acts of charity.” – Michael O’Sullivan
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